Fuji of Letters (Bunhen no Fuji): Half of detatched page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 2 Possibly 1835 - 1836

Curator: This is Hokusai's "Fuji of Letters" from his "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji," a woodblock print, dating from the first half of the 19th century. Editor: It’s striking! The patterned foreground feels like a textile, yet the mountain in the distance is rendered with such delicate realism. Curator: Hokusai was deeply engaged with the social landscape of Edo-period Japan. Prints like these were relatively affordable, bringing iconic imagery to a wider public. What do you make of the title in connection to this? Editor: Well, the patterns at the bottom read almost like abstracted characters. Given Hokusai’s interest in accessibility, the title might suggest that even the most ordinary person could “read” or understand the majestic Fuji. Curator: That's a really compelling interpretation. This work, in its fragmented form, tells a broader story about accessibility and the democratization of art. Editor: Precisely. It shows how the everyday and the extraordinary can intertwine, offering us new perspectives.